Greathouse, Whim Plantation, St. Croix

The Greathouse, Whim Plantation, St. Croix

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Greathouse, Whim Plantation

The Estate Whim Plantation is only about 2 miles from Frederiksted at the west end of the island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. It was restored by the St. Croix Landmarks Society and is the oldest sugar plantation museum in the Virgin Islands.

The estate of Whim is typical of the agricultural plantations originally laid out in the 1730’s by the Danish West Indian company. The first records of ownership date back to 1743 and show cotton as being grown on the estate first. Sugar became the main crop by the 1750s and it continued until the 1920’s when sugar gave way to cattle. The United States federal government purchased the entire plantation in 1932. An unsuccessful attempt was made to introduce homesteading to St. Croix and Whim was one of the chosen trial areas. Twelve acres of the original plantation along with the plantation buildings were leased to the St. Croix Landmarks Society in 1954. The society manages the museum today.

The oval-shaped plantation house is unique. It has only three rooms, and its walls made of stone, coral, and molasses, are three feet thick. The chateau-like house is surrounded by a dry moat, which helps cool the house. There is a door in the moat leading to the cellar where the B&W images “Cellar Treasures” where made.

The Cookhouse, Whim Plantation, St. Croix

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Adjacent to the Greathouse is the separate cookhouse or kitchen. As with the Greathouse and all of the buildings on the Whim Plantation, they are open as part of the tour, providing the visitor with an understanding of a colonial sugar plantation from the perspective of both the owners and the slaves who worked there.

The Cookhouse, Whim Plantation, St. Croix

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I will take you to some of the exhibits on the grounds of the plantation in my next post.

Great set of images, Mark. That first shot is awesome, something about that building and it’s architectural style. Love that interior shot with all the textures and patterns as well.Jimi Jones recently posted..Safe Harbor